She rings the bell two more times.

"Terri?" She knocks on the door as she calls out her name, then rattles the doorknob. She nervously figdgets while waiting.

"Coming, hold on." The voice on the other side of the door calls.

"Toni, hey." was the greeting as the door opens.

"Terri, I was wondering if you were even here, everything ok?" Toni babbles, continuing to talk before getting an answer. "Took you long enough to answer the door."

"Sorry. Not as fast as I used to be."

"I brought dinner as promised." She teases her with some takeout containers.

"Mmmmm, Cashew chicken, my favorite."

Toni helps Terri take the cartons to the kitchen, "Oh darn, I forgot something in the car. Be right back. Leave the door unlocked ok?"

"Ok."

Terri starts to get plates and utensils out when she hears the door open and shut. "That didn't take long, what did you - - -"

She stops in mid sentence, dropping the forks that she was carrying. Her face quickly changes from the shade and expression of pale to angry red.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Please" Sam begins to plead.

"Get out." She hisses through clenched teeth.

"I need to talk to you please, the only way I could get to you is through Toni."

Terri makes a mental note to send her so-called best friend a thank you gift for that. Then she takes a deep breath, then looking at her watch. "Ok, Five minutes starting now."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" She interrupts him. "You're sorry? I called you, twice. Then I called you and your phone was disconnected. What did that tell me? Huh?"

"I was..."

"That told me that you didn't care, I was one of your use 'em and lose girls."

"I didn't..."

"Of course you didn't, to know you would have had to answer the phone or call me. I tried to tell you so it isn't my fault either."

Terri is slowly losing steam. Sam takes the opportunity to move toward her and starts to talk.

"I meant to call you, really I did. My phone died, then I had to get a new one and ended with a new number. I couldn't get your number. By the time I got the new phone I thought you'd be mad at me."

"Sam I'm sorry.' She sits, feeling defeated. "It was partially my fault too. I was out of town for a week here and there, then moved."

An uncomfortable silence is followed by "How did you find me?"

"You're monthly girls luncheon, I was having lunch there that day. I saw you and...and..."

He stops talking as he looks at the frightened look on her face, he cautiously makes his way over, lifting her shirt and rubs his hands over her swollen belly, her five months pregnant swollen belly.

He looks into her tear stained face, "Are you gonna be ok?"

"No, I'm scared, I'm retaining water, I ache all over and he won't let me sleep at night."

"He?" Sam's face brightens up.

"Yea, it's a boy, so they say, he could always come out as a girl."

"We're gonna have a baby." Sam's face brightens. "We're gonna have a boy."

-

-

-

Later that night, he rubs her feet with lotion and keeps them elevated as they lay on her bed.

"So Toni really slapped you? Right in front of your friends." Terri laughs at his pain. "You used to be able to catch those before they made contact."

"Yeah, guess I was to slow." He rubs the side of his face remembering the impact. "And she didn't even tell you?"

"No, I guess she didn't want to get me upset in my 'condition'."

"I'm glad she did though."

"Why is that?"

"I would have never found you again."

"Uh huh, for how long?" Comes her sarcastic retort.

Sam ignores that remark. "I don't think you should be alone."

"I'm not alone. I have friends that check on me and all that."

"I mean, alone here in the condo." He stops rubbing her feet and looks seriously in her eyes. "Suppose you can't get to the phone, or need someone to hold you at night, someone to talk to, to take care of you. Let me move in with you."

She closes her eyes and after a long pause "Are you sure? What about your other lady friends."

"They'll have to take a number."

Sam thinks he overstepped his boundary and was moving to fast when she finally answers "Call me stupid, but I'll think about it."

"Well I'll stay here until you decide." He kisses her on her nose, then her lips and starts to get amorous.

"You remember this is how I got in this predicament." She murmurs as she returns his affections.

"Of course I do, I was there." He rubs her belly "and this is the wonderful result of that night."

He pauses to gaze in her eyes, which are full of a mixture of uncertainty and desire. He could read it in her eyes, that she was doubting that he was going to be there in the morning,

He had to prove her wrong.